The Stand—mouthpiece of the Washington State Labor Council (WSLC)—recently accused the Seattle Times of supporting “greedy corporations” during the grain export dispute between United Grain Corp. and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) at the Port of Vancouver. After announcing he would remove police protection from state grain inspectors, the Times had chastised Jay Inslee for taking the side of the union by placing an effective hold on all grain exports.
Last week, the two disputing parties reached a tentative agreement the details of which have not been made public. The Times was not impressed, rightly editorializing that Inslee was “willing to imperil sales and world market share for an industry worth billions to this state and the inland West. It shouldn’t happen again.
Of course, as SHIFT reported, police protection for state grain inspectors was needed due to the hostile, volatile behavior of Longshoremen picketers. State grain inspectors—who needed to cross the union’s picket line in order to do their jobs—were subjected to death threats and United Grain Corp. management to threats of rape of their daughters.
The WSLC is not fazed by the threats of violence and does not believe others, including the Times, has any right to chastise the Longshoremen’s aggressive behavior or Inslee for lending credibility to the hostile picketers. Rationalizing the Longshoremen’s behavior, the Stand argues that United Grain Corp. locked out union workers after negotiations for a new contract fell through and thus “created a volatile picket line of justifiably angry employees.
Let’s be clear of what is happening here. Quick to place all blame on “greedy corporations” and stand up for Inslee, the WSLC actually makes the argument that the picketers were “justifiably angry employees” and therefore should receive a pass for threatening the lives of state employees and the rape of the daughters of company management.
Steven Wayne Owen says
Can I make death threats and the like and get away with it? No. Nor do I expect to..
Jim Thomas says
First of all most picketers are NOT employees but professional picketers that are brought in to “create” a hostle environment and a good show for the News people and their cameras just like Ferguson, Mo and the “New Black Panthers”.
Radio Randy says
And “Workplace Safety” is the reason most state agencies DON’T allow employees to exercise their 2nd Amendment right to bear arms (concealed, of course). Hmmm…who is actually in danger, here?
dickackerman says
It appears to me the west side, who control the state through votes, is starting to mimic the Chicago and Illinois political and union machine. Unfortunately, the last crook I can remember being sent to the “big house” was Dave Beck. I am convinced there is just as much corruption going on now as then, but the unions now control public law enforcement and turn their heads when the union crooks push their illegal agendas.
Glenn Jones says
The picture is not of the Port of Vancouver.